Training grants awarded (8/5/03)

Portland industries Tyson Mexican Original and Linden Creek Enterprises will receive $145,000 in grants to help train new and existing employees.

The grants from the Indiana Department of Commerce’s Skills Enhancement Fund were announced by the Department of Commerce this morning.

Tyson, which has produced flour and corn tortilla products locally since the mid-1990s at its plant just west of Portland, will receive $130,000 to train 92 new and 430 current employees following a $2 million capital investment currently under way. The capital investment will add another production line at the plant, located on Tyson Road.

Linden Creek, which is located in the former Sheller-Globe plant on South Bridge Street, will receive $15,000 to train 28 new and 39 existing employees as part of a $600,000 investment in buildings and equipment.

Linden Creek is a production painter of exterior plastic and metal automotive parts.

The grants will be used to train employees in English and Spanish as a second language, as well as for training in forklift and hydraulics operations, machining, electricity and quality control.

Robert Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, assisted with applications for the grants. He said this morning that the state is directing more money toward training existing workers.

“Now these grants, as of about 12-18 months ago, they said let’s start doing incumbent working training, too,” Quadrozzi said this morning.

Linden Creek handles adhesion, base coat and clear coat painting. It handles auto body parts from fascia to body-side molding.

Tyson, which was founded more than 60 years ago as a poultry company, entered the corn and flour tortilla business in 1983.

It is the world’s second largest producer of flour and corn tortilla products.

The Skills Enhancement Fund is available to companies that are making capital investments to help defray costs of training new and current employees.[[In-content Ad]]